Nearly every parent I've met wants their child to excel...here are 5 things you cannot miss if you want your child to be their best.
What does every parent want for their child?
Good news…a handful of studies can give us some insight:
• To have a positive attitude
• To be responsible
• To be capable
• To be successful
• To have good friends
• To have manners
• To be a good person
Yet, as important as each of these are, there were 3 aspirations that stood out as the most important qualities every parent wanted for their children…
1. To be happy
2. To be healthy
3. To fulfill their potential
Where Do We Begin?
Before we cover the '5 Things You Cannot Miss If You Want Your Child To Be Their Best", it is paramount that we establish one key principle that will help you better understand how these "things" can make or break your child's chances at success.
KEY PRINCIPLE | YOUR CHILD IS DESIGNED TO BE EXTRAORDINARY
There couldn’t be better news…The normal, default state for your child is health and happiness!
As parents, it means we don’t need to spend excessive time trying to “figure out” how to help our kids improve their focus and concentration, overcome illness, or develop their fitness. Instead, our job is to ensure they have EVERYTHING they REQUIRE in order for their default state to be expressed.
Let’s use a plant for a simple example:
When you give a developing plant EVERYTHING it needs (water, healthy soil, adequate sunlight, carbon dioxide and a clear space to grow) it becomes a vibrant, beautiful, thriving organism.
If it ever does start to wilt, what’s your first response?
To find a medication that can treat your wilting problem?
To cut off the brown leaves?
Of course not!
It’s to add whatever it’s missing.
The same is entirely true for your kids (and ALL adults too!). In order to meet one’s full potential, develop thriving health and live a happy life, make sure these five requirements are being met on a regular basis.
Miss them and you risk your child not being at their absolute best today and into the future.
1. EXERCISE
This seems like it could go without saying, yet children’s fitness levels have dropped to staggering levels, obesity and type 2 diabetes are rapidly on the rise and kids are spending more and more time staring at their devices instead of running, jumping and playing.
Aside from the obvious physical health improvements exercise delivers (fat loss, cardiovascular function, longevity), there is an often unknown benefit to movement that parents really NEED to learn about…One of the major organs exercise impacts is THE BRAIN.
Movement literally feeds the brain with “neurological nutrition” much like healthy foods feed the body. This stimulation is important for proper brain development, balance, focus, coordination…even moods and behavior can be improved with consistent exercise.
EXPERT RECOMMENDATION | Every child requires daily activity including a mixture of running, jumping, spinning, tumbling, lifting and throwing.Screen time and sitting should be minimized
2. REAL FOOD
Parents were asked “How important is nutrition for your children’s health and development?”
The vast majority answered with an emphatic “Very important!”
My guess is that you feel the same way?
Unfortunately, a massive gap exists between parents believing nutrition is vital to their child’s health and what many parents are actually feeding their kids.
“I’m too busy.”
“It’s too expensive to eat healthily.”
“I thought that was good for them!”
“Everything in moderation.”
These are all comments and struggles I hear from parents when I consult with them about their family’s nutritional habits.
Nothing has the ability to derail your child’s health and set them up for future illness and disease like poor food choices today!
This won’t always be an easy road (unless you start them off right) but getting just this one REQUIREMENT correct will improve your child’s quality of life beyond measure.
EXPERT RECOMMENDATION | Every child requires a nutrient dense diet built on adequate protein, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables and safe starches.
3. BRAIN-BODY COMMUNICATION
Easily the most overlooked requirement for optimal function would be a child’s neurological health.
At birth nearly every newborn has their major organs systems screened for signs dysfunction.
The heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, ears, nose, throat are all examined and this continues throughout life as a routine part of annual visits to a physician.
A system which is often recognized as the body’s “master control system” is rarely given much attention both at birth and throughout childhood. Yet, this system plays a central role in EVERY single aspect of your child’s health, performance and ability to fulfill their potential.
We touched on it in requirement #1 but there is a second avenue to maximizing the health of the nervous system in your kids.
Exercise plays a big role in health and development because the brain needs regular input from the body to function at it’s full capacity.
However, a problem arises when the structure which protects the spinal cord gets stressed or damaged. This problem with the spine can happen as early as birth, occur without pain and often goes completely undetected.
EXPERT RECOMMENDATION | Every child requires healthy "neurological nutrition" for the brain. While exercise is absolutely paramount, undetected damage to the spine will compromise development and healthy function.
A NeuroStructural Examination performed by a qualified Pediatric Chiropractor is advised for all newborns and children.
4. SLEEP
I doubt you will find many parents that aren’t ecstatic when it comes time for the kids find their way into bed and finally fall asleep for the night!
The more important question is “What’s the quality of that sleep?”
Sleep deprivation can be anything from lack of sleep, shallow sleep or broken sleep.
A healthy sleep cycle is another REQUIREMENT for optimal health. It’s during sleep that our body carries out vital physiological activities that lead to regeneration, healing, repair, growth, and development.
From the TV to iPads, video games and phones, our children face an abundance of distractions that make normal and healthy sleep difficult to impossible.
EXPERT RECOMMENDATION | Start each bedtime with a routine.This can involve excluding exposure to digital devices before bedtime and include focused time with a loved one, reading, or any activity that decreases brain stimulation and initiates a healthy sleep cycle.
5. SELF-ESTEEM
Very few relationships our children will have are as important as the one they have with themselves.
Deficiency in self-esteem is at the core and nearly every psychological condition, personal challenge and struggle our little ones will face during their lifetime.
Whereas adults who have developed healthy self-esteem are among the most successful, happy and well adjusted.
The top experts in this field deem healthy self-esteem as much a REQUIREMENT to a child’s development and ability to fulfill their potential as healthy food or regular exercise.
EXPERT RECOMMENDATION| Demonstrate how much you love and value your children by giving them focused attention. Teach them that their thoughts and opinions matter. Guide them towards making rationale choices and taking responsibilty for the outcomes whether positive or negative.
Review the "5 Things You Cannot Miss If You Want Your Child To Be Their Best" and identify all requirements not currently being met.
Take action steps, including further education and consulting with experts, to address any missed requirements.